A Cup of Christmas Cheer
by pondlilyrue
Summary: His smile rivaled the lights of the twinkling Christmas tree. -RyderMarley


**A/N: **I'm still working on Marley and Me, but I couldn't help but want to write a Marley + Ryder Christmas fic. I haven't seen one up yet, and thought that I could be the first to do so. I gained some inspiration last night when my family & I watched Elf on ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas. I wanted to add some happy!Ryley.. But, being the threatical person I am, I added some drama into it because of her insecurities and such.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Glee. But, if I did, Marley and Ryder would be together no doubt, and Jake would be stranded on some random island and leave the perfection that is Ryley alone. And Finchel wouldn't even have ever been together, and Evanberry would be canon not fanon and... the list goes on and on. Point is: don't own Glee. Ryan Murphy does.

* * *

**A Cup of Christmas Cheer**

"Ryder..." Marley sighed for what was the fifteenth time that evening. They were in Ryder's house going over some holiday movies to watch on what was today, Christmas Eve. She shook her head slightly and positioned herself closer to him on the couch, wrapping her thin arms around his waist. "Why do you want to watch this movie?" she disentangled herself from his grip and held up the DVD copy of the movie, Elf.

Ryder looked at her as if she had gone slightly crazy and said slowly, "Because.. it's like the best movie ever, Marls." To be honest, every Christmas season he watched it at least twenty times. The one-liners never got old to him. He would never tell Marley – but, once, when he was in the store he had screamed _I'm singing! I'm in a store and I'm singing! _

Yeah, that didn't go over well.

Marley bit her lip in deep thought. "I've never watched this movie before because it... I don't know... seemed stupid. But, if you really want to..." she trailed off and shrugged. Ryder smiled.

"Yes, I want you to," he responded before pulling her in for a light kiss.

-:-

They were in the kitchen making hot chocolate when Marley suddenly turned to Ryder with a serious expression. "Ryder?" she asked quietly, making him feel a little concerned. Her eyes had a bit of a sadness to him that he hadn't seen in a while. For some reason, Ryder could always read Marley by her eyes. Her bright blue orbs gave her away when she was lying or pretending to be alright.

So, being the awesome boyfriend he was, he scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Yeah?" he asked her, fiddling with her long chocolate brown hair.

"You don't think I'm fat, do you?" she asked it so quietly; he could barely make out the interrogation. But, when he heard it, his eyes widened and he looked so worried _becauseamillionquestionswere rushingthroughhishead._

"Marley – you're not... you're not..." Ryder faltered, shaking his head at the very thought. He was concerned that Marley was falling back to her bulimia. The very thought made him want to scream and cry at the exact moment.

"No, Ryder, I'm not," she said softly, stirring the milk into her hot cocoa. Ryder narrowed his eyes then in question.

"Then..." he probed. "Why are you asking me if your fat? You are thin and beautiful, Marley. Seriously. You can't get any prettier than this -" he gestured to her. Marley smiled a weak smile and blushed.

"Thank you, but it was just something Kitty said..." she hesitated and wiped her eyes just the slighest. "She told me to watch what I'm eating because.. like... she said I've g-gained even more weight and -"

Ryder pulled her into a kiss which silenced her. When they pulled away, she smiled. It was going to be okay.

-:-

Finally, after the kitchen debacle, they were seated in the living room, ready to watch Elf. They had hot chocolate, egg nog (Marley said she liked it, so Ryder got it) and gingerbread out. The movie was just beginning, and his _wonderbeautifullyperfectamaz ing _girlfriend snuggled closer to him and kissed his cheek.

Ryder figured that this moment couldn't get any more perfect.

Here he was – watching his favorite movie, during his favorite season, his favorite night of the year, with his favorite girl right next to him. Gosh, he was blessed. He interlocked their fingers subconsciously and smiled a smile that would challenge the twinkling Christmas lights from outdoors.

-:-

When the movie was over, Marley was asleep. Ryder was pretty sure of it. He looked down at his shoulder where he saw her eyes were fluttered shut, and her breathing had eased into calm breaths. Ryder smiled softly at the sight. She was such a beauty and she didn't know it. Everyone else knew it.

Jake knows it when he asked her out and tried to kiss her. Finn knows it when he gave her the role of Sandy – not only of her amazing singing talent but of her beauty that would, definitely, please the audience. And Kitty absolutely knows it when she figures out Marley's a threat and tries to make her feel so awful about herself.

Ryder knows it too. He bended down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. He reveled in the perfection of the moment. The fire cast a small feeling of warmth through the room (or that may be the fact that his body is pressed right against Marley's), and it smells of hot chocolate and marshmallows.

With those final thoughts, he barely murmured to her, "Merry Christmas, Marley."

He barely hears it – but it's definitely there. "Merry Christmas, Ryder."

* * *

**Note: **Ah.. finally some happy Ryley for once. Don't forget to read & review & favorite if you want to. This is just a one-shot; I don't intend on making it a multi-chapter fic. But I probably *will* write a LilyJames Christmas fiction because I adore that couple and haven't written them in so long (since one of my first fanfics.. haha) Adios!


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